Destination Canada: this guide takes you, in order, through what to do to study there on your own. You will find studies and admission, visa and residence permit, health insurance, housing, budget and funds, on arrival and working while you study, and every fact links to its official page.

Choosing a school and getting admitted

To get a study permit, you must first be accepted by a designated learning institution (DLI). A DLI is a school approved by a provincial government to host international students. Check that your school is on the official list.

In Québec, a cégep is a public college that sits between high school and university. In the Montréal area, SRAM (Service régional d’admission du Montréal métropolitain) receives admission applications for 32 public cégeps. For university, you apply directly to each university.

The order of steps is: you receive your letter of admission, then you apply for the CAQ, then for the study permit. Université de Montréal, for example, advises starting the immigration steps as soon as you receive your letter of admission.

Tuition fees vary by school and program. For professionally oriented university programs (bachelor’s and master’s level), each university sets its own fees for international students. Check the website of the school you choose.

  1. Choose a school that is on the DLI list
  2. Apply for admission (SRAM for cégeps in the Montréal area, or directly to the university)
  3. Receive the letter of admission, then apply for the CAQ
  4. After the CAQ, apply for the study permit

Official links

The CAQ, the study permit and the visa

To study in Québec, you need two authorizations. First, the CAQ (Québec Acceptance Certificate), issued by Québec’s immigration ministry (MIFI). Then the study permit, issued by the Government of Canada (IRCC), which allows you to study in Canada.

You apply for the CAQ online as soon as you have your letter of admission. As of January 1, 2026, the fee shown for an international student is $135. According to the official site, a decision is made within 25 business days of receiving a complete application, in 80% of cases. If your school has reached its maximum number of applications, you cannot apply unless you are exempt.

Elsewhere in Canada, you need a provincial attestation letter (PAL). In Québec, you provide an attestation of issuance of your CAQ with your study permit application instead.

A study permit is not a visa. Depending on your nationality, you also need a visitor visa or an eTA (electronic travel authorization) to enter Canada. You usually need to give your biometrics (fingerprints and photo); the fee shown is $85 for one person.

  1. Passport
  2. Letter of admission from the Québec school
  3. Tuition fee information
  4. Valid credit card (Visa, Mastercard or American Express) to pay the CAQ fee
  5. Proof of financial capacity (see the Budget section)

Official links

Where are you from? Do you need a visa?

The rule depends on the country of your passport. Choose it to see the answer that applies to you.

You are from…

The rules for each group of countries

NationalitiesVisaGood to know
These nationalities:
Show the 17 countries

Antigua & Barbuda, Argentina, Brazil, Costa Rica, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, Panama, Philippines, Seychelles, St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent & Grenadines, Thailand, Trinidad & Tobago, Uruguay

It dependsYour country is on the list of countries whose citizens need a visitor visa to enter Canada. Some of its citizens can, however, get an eTA (electronic travel authorization) instead, if they travel by air and meet certain requirements. To study, you first apply for the CAQ, then for the study permit with IRCC. You do not apply separately: if your first study permit is approved, IRCC (the federal immigration department) automatically issues the document you need.
These nationalities: Israel, Romania, TaiwanIt dependsFor your nationality, it depends on your passport: with some passports you need an eTA (by air); with others, a visitor visa. For example, for Romania, only holders of an electronic passport are on the eTA list. To study, you first apply for the CAQ, then for the study permit with IRCC. You do not apply separately: if your first study permit is approved, IRCC (the federal immigration department) automatically issues the document you need.
These nationalities:
Show the 126 countries

Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Angola, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, China, Colombia, Comoros, Congo - Brazzaville, Congo - Kinshasa, Côte d’Ivoire, Cuba, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, India, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Macao SAR China, Madagascar, Malawi, Maldives, Mali, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Micronesia, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Mozambique, Myanmar (Burma), Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, North Korea, North Macedonia, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Palestinian Territories, Paraguay, Peru, Russia, Rwanda, São Tomé & Príncipe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Syria, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Tunisia, Türkiye, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Visa requiredYou need a visitor visa (and a valid passport) to enter Canada, on top of the study permit. A study permit is not a visa. You first apply for the CAQ, then for the study permit with IRCC. You do not apply separately: if your first study permit is approved, IRCC (the federal immigration department) automatically issues the document you need. In most cases you also have to give your fingerprints and a photo (biometrics) after you apply.
These nationalities:
Show the 60 countries

Andorra, Anguilla, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Barbados, Belgium, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Brunei, Bulgaria, Cayman Islands, Chile, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Falkland Islands, Finland, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Hong Kong SAR China, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Montserrat, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Papua New Guinea, Pitcairn Islands, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Samoa, San Marino, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, South Korea, Spain, St. Helena, Sweden, Switzerland, Turks & Caicos Islands, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, Vatican City

No visaYou do not need a visitor visa. If you arrive by air, you need an eTA (electronic travel authorization) and a valid passport. To study, you still need the CAQ, then the study permit you apply for with IRCC. You do not apply separately: if your first study permit is approved, IRCC (the federal immigration department) automatically issues the document you need.
These nationalities: United StatesNo visaAs a US citizen, you need neither a visa nor an eTA to enter Canada. To study in Québec, you still need the CAQ and the study permit.
All nationalitiesIt dependsTo study in Québec you need the CAQ and the study permit. A study permit is not a visa: depending on your nationality, you also need a visitor visa or an eTA. Stateless people and holders of a refugee travel document need a visa. Check your case on IRCC’s official page.

Compulsory health insurance in Québec

Québec requires you to have health and hospitalization insurance for the whole length of your study stay. This insurance pays for your medical care and hospital stays.

First check whether your country has signed a social security agreement with Québec. If so, you may be covered free of charge by Québec’s public health insurance plan, run by RAMQ (Régie de l’assurance maladie du Québec). A waiting period, usually three months, generally applies when you register.

If your country has no agreement, some schools offer group insurance for international students. If your school does not offer it, or if you do not want to join, you must get private health and hospitalization insurance. We could not access the list of countries on the RAMQ website, so please check it yourself.

Official links

Finding housing and signing a lease

You can live in a residence of your school or in private housing. In Québec, the official form of the Tribunal administratif du logement (TAL, the housing tribunal) must be used for every new lease. The lease is the rental contract between you and the landlord.

Before signing, the landlord may only ask for the information needed to assess your file. If you live in your school’s residence, your lease ends automatically when you finish your studies or are no longer enrolled.

The TAL explains the rights of student tenants. If you have doubts about a lease, check its website before signing.

Official links

How much money to prove for the CAQ

To get the CAQ, you must prove you can pay all the costs of your stay: tuition, transportation and basic needs (housing, food, etc.). This is called “financial capacity”.

For an application submitted from January 1, 2026, Québec requires $24,617 per year for a single person. This amount covers basic needs; tuition comes on top.

The Government of Canada (IRCC) publishes a different amount for the other provinces. For Québec, IRCC refers to the amounts set by Québec’s immigration ministry.

The amounts change every year. Check the official site right before you apply.

  1. Statements of your personal funds with transactions over the last six months and the current balance
  2. Pay stubs from the last four months
  3. Proof of a scholarship (amount and period covered)
  4. Proof of a student loan from a financial institution
  5. Proof of full or partial payment of tuition
  6. If someone else pays: a signed declaration of financial support and their financial proof

Official links

Your arrival in Canada

If your study permit is approved, IRCC sends you a port of entry letter of introduction. It is not the permit yet: you show this letter to a border services officer when you arrive in Canada. It contains the reference number used to issue your study permit.

Travel with the passport you used for your application. Before leaving customs, make sure a border services officer stamps your passport.

Once you arrive, apply for your SIN (Social Insurance Number). It is a 9-digit number you need to work in Canada and access government programs. Applying is free and can be done online.

  1. Valid passport
  2. Letter of introduction received when the study permit was approved
  3. Copy of the letter of acceptance from your school
  4. Enough money for your stay
  5. Letters of reference or other documents the visa office asked for

Official links

Working during your studies

With a study permit, you can work off campus (outside your school) without a work permit, if you meet all the conditions. According to IRCC (page modified April 15, 2026), the limit is 24 hours per week during study sessions.

During breaks scheduled by your school (for example summer or winter holidays), you can work unlimited hours.

Conditions include: studying full time at a DLI, having started your program, being in a program of at least 6 months that leads to a diploma, having a SIN and having work conditions printed on your study permit. This rule can change: check the official page before you start working.

Official links

The other path

Do you hold an official scholarship? See what changes for you.

Study there with a scholarship

Other destinations

The same path, on your own, in the other countries GradMe covers: compare before you choose.